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2020-21 Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion

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👎2. Apply4Law (probably the most common?- This is my favourite other than the direct e-mail apps. When I first filled in all my details on Apply4Law it took me like three hours and I thought it was a massive nightmare, and a huge negative about the system is that it does not automatically fill your details and work experience on subsequent applications. It does provide a drop-down list of what you have filled in before though, so that is a positive, and I got a rhythm down where I would copy and paste from a previous app and I could complete everything but for the written answers within 15-20 mins. The reason I like it is that it is very clear and there are no weird formatting issues)
I love the theory that Apply4Law isn't the best nor the worst, but because so many firms use it it becomes second nature!
 
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Yeah someone quoted my reply earlier and said they had the written exercise first. I definitely had my VI first as I remember wanting to do the written first 😂 It might be different for everyone :)
Haha I am the opposite - just want to get my rehearsed why law why S&S question out of the way before the written assessment which I can only improvise😅 Guess launchpad just wouldn't let us have it our way 🤣
 
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Totally not relevant to your post! But hopped onto the forum and the first thing I noticed was the lack of your Mary Poppins that I've been so used too :p

Mary Poppins GIF
Thought it was time to change -
Friends Tv GIF
 
Hey,
I'm looking at this too and I've kind of looked at this way:
1) Changes in the law = Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (June 2020)
2) Key stories = Asos acquiring Arcadia, Boohoo acquiring Debenhams, New Look Rent Restructuring (then maybe looking at how different companies have tried to cope because of covid, so Pret's coffee subscription thing)
3) Impact on law firm practice areas = Increased pressure because of distressed M&A + insolvency litigation + different financing options?
4) Commercial Impact = your personal opinion on whether you think this is good for the market can fit in here + remember that Boohoo isn't actually acquiring Debenhams' physical stores
5) Long term impact = again, this would be a good place to put your opinion in regarding the future of the British High Street and legal work in that area

If you wanna chat about it pm cause I'm still thinking about it lmao :)
Great summary!
 
Hello hello! Make sure you're confident in your why the firm, commercial answer and some standard STAR competencies but aside from that, a lot of the day you can't really prepare for as it's based on a given/fictional situation. Judge the information in front of you, stick to your guns and be yourself. They're a really lovely firm and very understanding so you'll be fab :)
This is really helpful - THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
 
Yeah someone quoted my reply earlier and said they had the written exercise first. I definitely had my VI first as I remember wanting to do the written first 😂 It might be different for everyone :)
After I completed the written exercise, they sent me a follow-up e-mail saying 'Now that you have completed the written exercise, you can click here to access the video interview' - very strange!
 
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Hey,
I'm looking at this too and I've kind of looked at this way:
1) Changes in the law = Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (June 2020)
2) Key stories = Asos acquiring Arcadia, Boohoo acquiring Debenhams, New Look Rent Restructuring (then maybe looking at how different companies have tried to cope because of covid, so Pret's coffee subscription thing)
3) Impact on law firm practice areas = Increased pressure because of distressed M&A + insolvency litigation + different financing options?
4) Commercial Impact = your personal opinion on whether you think this is good for the market can fit in here + remember that Boohoo isn't actually acquiring Debenhams' physical stores
5) Long term impact = again, this would be a good place to put your opinion in regarding the future of the British High Street and legal work in that area

If you wanna chat about it pm cause I'm still thinking about it lmao :)
Thank you this was super helpful! :)
 
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If a firm asks me to give an introduction about myself, what kind of things should I include? I feel like I'm kind of boring haha

1) What's something you could spend hours talking about?
2) What's a hobby that you would drag a friend out to?
3) What's an accomplishment you're particularly proud of?
4) Do you like helping others? If so, when?
 
Does anyone have any experience of the Mills & Reeve AC? I read that the group exercise will be a "hackathon" type scenario which is nerve wracking / intriguing ??
I looked into this because I thought "hackathon" meant some kind of hacking competition. 😂 It's not, it's "a competitive event to develop ideas in response to a particular challenge within a short timeframe (for example, 24 or 48 hours). The real benefit of the process is getting technology experts to discuss with users exactly what they want, drilling down into the heart of the problem before developing a solution in response to that. It’s amazing what can be achieved in the short timeframe by providing the right environment to focus on innovation" - https://placetech.net/analysis/mills-reeve-hackathons-and-automatons/
 
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How would people recommend I handle a question about a gap in my employment history where you'd rather not disclose what you were doing? I'm completing an application for a firm where I can't submit with a gap in my employment dates unless I explain the gap. I took a year off work after my son was born (and did my Master's). I feel like saying I just did my Master's looks awful because there's an assumption we should have work experience at the same time (and I didn't stop working because I was doing my Master's - I feel like saying that looks like I can't cope with having a lot on my plate) but I'm reluctant to bring up that I'm a mother in my application.
Any suggestions welcomed.
 
How would people recommend I handle a question about a gap in my employment history where you'd rather not disclose what you were doing? I'm completing an application for a firm where I can't submit with a gap in my employment dates unless I explain the gap. I took a year off work after my son was born (and did my Master's). I feel like saying I just did my Master's looks awful because there's an assumption we should have work experience at the same time (and I didn't stop working because I was doing my Master's - I feel like saying that looks like I can't cope with having a lot on my plate) but I'm reluctant to bring up that I'm a mother in my application.
Any suggestions welcomed.
I think its unlikely that a firm will look down on you taking a year off work to complete further education. Many (possibly most? I don't know the stats), people don't work while completing their masters, so if you don't want to disclose your being a mother, talking about the masters likely won't stick out.
 
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